How food industries can benefit from ISO 14001
The
global food industry is a collective of complex and diverse businesses, both
large and small, that work together to feed the population of this planet. Even
if your food business is at the smaller end of that scale – think sandwich or
coffee shop, or small supplier to these businesses – you may be interested to
know that significant benefits can still be gained by implementing ISO 14001
Certification Environmental management system in your
business. Many owners or managers can find this benefit enough to give their
organization a competitive advantage over rivals. So, what are these benefits,
and how can ISO 14001 Certification
in the food industry be used to deliver them?
The benefits of ISO
14001 Certification how to realize
them
It
is widely recognized that ISO 14001 Certification
is the premier industry standard used to reduce a company’s environmental
impact, but many of the activities initiated by the standard bring other benefits,
namely process efficiencies and cost reductions. The article How to get
management buy-in for an ISO 14001 project examined how to convince your top
management team that ISO 14001
could have cost as well as environmental benefits, and this applies to a
business in the food industry as much as any other sector.
The
next critical step will be ensuring that your employees understand the positive
part that ISO 14001 Certification can
play for your food business. You also need to ensure that your supply chain
understands, given that you are responsible for the environmental impact that
the supply chain creates. So, what is the best way to achieve that? Certain
parts of the standard can facilitate initiatives that will help these “dual”
benefits to be realized, but what sections should you concentrate on? How can
you ensure the resulting actions from the ISO 14001
implementation project can benefit your food business?
Understanding
the needs of interested parties.
This is a sub-section of section which deals
with defining the context of the organization. Previously we looked at the
article Understanding the needs & expectations of interested parties in ISO
14001 Certification and how a
company had to assess legislation and the needs of stakeholders, then decide
what would become a “compliance obligation.” This provides a defined
opportunity for a business in the food sector.
Complying
with environmental legislation to avoid fines is a positive factor but consider
what your customers want. Redesigning processes, reducing the use of packaging
and working to reduce your delivery journeys can not only save considerable
amounts of money but may allow you to market or re-brand as “environmentally
friendly” as your unique selling point.
Actions
to address risk and opportunity.
These actions make up part of section which deals with planning, and once again
there are opportunities here that can help a company prosper in the food
sector. Adopting an intelligent attitude towards environmental risk can pay dividends,
as we discovered in the article Risks and opportunities in ISO 14001 Certification – What are they and why
they are important. Whether improving your recycling processes, rearranging
your working hours to reduce utility bills or using your new-found
“environmentally friendly” status to try and win new business, maintaining a
focus on environmental risk and opportunity can bring defined benefits for your
food business.
Dealing
with environmental aspects.
This also comes within section and though this
is a critical part of any EMS (environmental management system), it also
presents the chance for benefits in any food business. Controlling emissions,
water waste, electricity and the general carbon footprint of the business all
have the dual benefit of decreasing the environmental impact while increasing
profit margins.
ISO
14001 Certification in the food industry: Use it as a competitive
advantage
To learn how ISO
14001:2015(EMS) Certification could provide benefits in a
restaurant, and whatever place your business holds in the food sector, read the
Case Study: Using ISO 14001:2015 to reduce environmental impact and increase
profit in a restaurant.
Ensuring
your business gets the benefit
Having
an EMS compliant with ISO 14001
Environmental Management System can make environmental and
financial sense for businesses in the food sector. The examples given above
help illustrate how the initial project investment can quickly be clawed back
through reduced bills and profits that entry to new markets can bring. With the
food business guaranteed to sustain and expand as our needs and tastes develop,
presenting a food product or service to the market that is sustainable and
environmentally responsible can help improve your reputation and your business
prospects accordingly.
For more information about ISO 14001Certification Provider in Philippines and the
role we can play in your efforts to achieve certification to it, feel free to contact us. To
get started with the certification process, you can also request a quote
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